Scott slashed $142.8 million from the $69.9 billion state budget he signed Tuesday, but none of it came at the expense of Martin-specific projects. Among the county groups happy with Scott on Tuesday: a group restoring the Apollo School Building in Hobe Sound, supporters of the Elliott, Alzheimer's patients, children with mental health problems and developmentally disabled kids.

Scott's 2012 vetoes were dwarfed in comparison to the $615 million he lopped off this year's budget.

Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican and second-in-charge of the Senate budget, called Scott's approval a big win locally.

"This has been a banner year for the Treasure Coast in a difficult budget year," Negron said.

The Elliott Museum, which is hoping to finish building its new Hutchinson Island accommodations by spring 2013, will get a boost of $500,000 through a state arts grant. The Historical Society of Martin County has raised $15.7 million so far in its Elliott campaign.

"We're thrilled, ecstatic," said Jennifer Esler, Elliott Museum president/CEO. "It's going to make all the difference in the world in finalizing the capital campaign for the Elliott."

With continued budget cuts and changes coming to Medicaid, the Martin County Health Department has been looking for options to move its midwifery program to a private vendor by July. But even paying to run the program another few months hasn't been a sure thing.

Negron secured a $360,000 crutch to keep the program alive for the next two and a half months. About 400 low-income pregnant Martin moms get their maternity care from the program, from doctor appointments in early weeks all the way through delivery at Martin Medical Center.

Martin County Health Department Administrator Karlette Peck called the news that they'd get state money a miracle.

"It'll give us time to thoughtfully and carefully move the program to a private entity," Peck said.

Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, said he's hardly ever the lawmaker to ask for special project dollars. But on his way out of the Legislature to run for Martin County sheriff, Snyder was able to get $35,000 for the ARC of Martin County to build a playground for developmentally disabled kids. ARC officials hope the therapeutic facility will be ready for the 2012 school year's start.

Negron has helped raise donations for a group hoping to preserve the historic Apollo School in Hobe Sound for years. In the 2012-13 budget, the school is set to receive $150,000 to continue the preservation push. The Olympia Holding Co. built the school in 1924 as part of a plan to develop Hobe Sound into the next Hollywood, and the Apollo School Foundation has worked to restore its quaint charm since 1999.

Also on the health front, New Horizons of the Treasure Coast will get $500,000 to continue paying for two additional children's crisis unit beds. And Alzheimer's Community Care is in line for $150,000 to pay for more dementia-specific treatment and equipment.

Martin's wish list held up even after the nonpartisan TaxWatch group tagged the ARC playground, midwifery services, New Horizons project and Alzheimer's initiative as "turkeys." In Tallahassee budget talk, that means TaxWatch thinks the items were slipped in the budget without properly following legislative budget rules.

In the bigger budget picture, public schools will get a $1 billion boost, but that doesn't cover the $1.3 billion chunk lawmakers stripped from schools this year or account for an increase in students and a drop in property values. Martin County schools will get a bump of $161 per student after losing more than $500 per pupil in this year's spending plan.

The budget doesn't raises taxes, but eliminates 4,000 state jobs and cuts reimbursement rates for nursing homes and hospitals. It also slashes university budgets by $300 million by requiring the schools to dip into their reserves, and forces clerks of courts to lay off 900 workers with cuts.

Only two local line items fell victim to the veto pen — $1.1 million to extend Fairgreen Road to hit Crosstown Parkway for a landlocked portion of Port St. Lucie, and $100,000 for St. Lucie River cleanup efforts.